Seattle Schools Community Forum

I won't be attending the Board meeting tonight but note that the speakers list is a lot of BEX IV and the superintendent search .  One notable speaker is Councilman Bruce Harrell speaking on the super search.  Checking some of the other speakers on this topic, I think there will be speakers talking about the superintendent search in the context of race and social justice.  I also note a new Intro item which is a resolution for authorization for a Reduction in Force (RIF).  This doesn't mean there will be RIFs but this has to be in place for them to be possible.  Also, some corrections to Director McLaren schedule for BEX IV discussions : - She will be at the Neighborhood House event this Friday the 6th but thre will NOT be general discussion there of BEX IV.  She will be available for questions at a resource table from 7:00-7:30 p.m. - She won't be at the Denny BEX IV meeting tomorrow night because of an Executive Session meeting to discuss the su...

From the Times' Danny Westneat , his take on some parents in Mill Creek and Snohomish who have decided  their children will not be taking the state test .  About 70 parents are participating and for one school, that includes 25% of students.  From his column: They'll be in another room, doing art or science projects.   Parents have the right to opt their kids out of the tests. There's no punishment, though the kids get a zero. Handfuls have opted out over the years, often at alternative schools. A few years back a Seattle science teacher refused to give the test, saying it was harmful to students.   But state officials say parents have never pulled their kids on this large a scale. "We're kind of shocked at the size of it," said Nathan Olson, spokesman for the state superintendent of public instruction. "No Child Left Behind is still the law of the land."

Or it seems like they want to be. In the latest batch of public disclosure documents, it appears that Director DeBell did not, as he claims, sit around by himself during the holiday break in December writing up Policy 1620.   He has said that Erinn Bennett, Board Office manager, and Holly Ferguson, SPS Governance, helped him shape it. But he left out that he asked for guidance from both Don McAdams, consultant to the Board (going on 5 years now) and Karen Tollenaar Demorest, Vice President of Programs at the Alliance. Now why them and not say, other duly-elected Board members, is a question only he can answer.

Tuesday, April 3 BEX IV Community Meeting - at Eckstein from 6:30-8:00 p.m.

No, hell hasn't frozen over but it is a bit chilly as I find that I actually agree with the Times' editorial board on an education issue .   We all agree the public should have the opportunity to hear and/or meet the superintendent finalists.  Then they go and spoil it by showing their motivation to get an ed reformer in there but I am glad they are standing up for more transparency.  They have a great quote from 2003 when the district was again looking for a superintendent. We warned then that, "Seattle Schools' number-one goal ought to be regaining public trust and confidence. The district compromises this goal when it promises citizen input but fails to deliver." Amen, brothers and sisters.  But it would seem that in other cases, the Times works to make sure to protect those at the top like Goodloe-Johnson, Sundquist and Maier.  That endangers public trust and confidence as well. Then they bring out one of their most old and tired lines: Bo...

School Board President Michael DeBell has sent out a letter describing the status and plan for the Superintendent Search. March 23, 2012 Dear Seattle Public Schools families, staff and community, As you know, the Seattle School Board is in the midst of searching for our next superintendent.  We have contracted with an outside firm, Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates (HYA), to conduct a national search to find a leader who is a great fit for our schools and community. Last fall, Elway Research, Inc. conducted two surveys to gather input about desired characteristics in the next superintendent from a broad spectrum of the community, including three town hall meetings held in conjunction with Seattle Council PTSA.  Using the survey results and information gathered from interviews with the Board and community members, the search firm consultants drafted desired characteristics that outline what the community is looking for in a new superintendent, including:  a...

Continuing the pattern of Highline and Bellevue, the Olympia School district is having community meetings with its superintendent finalists this week.   I wish our School Board would take note. Great new summer camp offering through the UW Computer Science & Engineering: How do computers work?  What does it take to write a computer program?  How can computing help address challenges in healthcare, water management, education and more?  What jobs are available to people with computing skills? This summer, UW Computer Science & Engineering will answer these questions through a series of 1-week day camps in partnership with Women in Science and Engineering and the Society of Women Engineers.  Participants will get hands-on experience in computing and participate in creative projects.  Two sessions (July 16 - 20 or July 23 - 27) will be offered for students starting 7th, 8th or 9th grade in fall 2012.  One session (August 13-17)...

I was notified by Lesley Rodgers, head of SPS Communications, that there was an error in the figure being circulated on the number of applications SPS received for superintendent.  While there were over 100 inquires, there are 36 applications.   I appreciate the update as I had received the figure from the Board office and the Crosscut article also reflected the same high figure. On the subject of the Focus Group Committee , I have to point out that BOTH the ed reformers and the progressives (not "traditionalists") are seemingly unhappy.  Hey, will you take a look at that? We all have something in common. Even as yet another school district hones in on its choice for a new Superintendent, Seattle is sorting through its search “process.” Originally limiting “stakeholders” to the PTSA and school district employees, the School Board has decided that they will allow for broader community perspective after all. But only at the last minute.  To meet with the th...

In my rush to put up the Crosscut article about the superintendent search, I had only skimmed the article. My mistake as I found what is likely to be a key issue (especially, it seems, to Crosscut); ed reform. From the article: The meeting, whose agenda included many other items, ran nearly two hours overtime. By the end the board members were either punch-drunk or giddy. But they’d squared the circle: Save for that Muslim/African omission, they had assembled a broadly balanced and representative roster seeded with institutional memory, heavy-hitters, and critics rather than pushovers. The question remains: How much can a late-inning focus group guided by search doctors do to temper the influence of the staff and unions, keep reform in sight, and, just maybe, build support for whoever gets the job? But regardless of that outcome, this coalition of coalitions has won something just by coalescing in an orderly, unified intervention. They’ve built a base for pressing the...

Charlie and I held back on this info but not Crosscut. And that's okay; as has been said, it was a public meeting (and I was wondering who that other guy in the room was).   For myself, I held back in order to allow the Board time to contact potential committee members and firm up the group.   There is the expectation a couple of them might have to say no.  (Also, it was done in such a haphazard manner I thought I might get some of those picked mixed up with alternates.) I also held back because honestly, I feared if I stated them, then later on if things go rough, this blog would be accused of hurting the process.  I guess I should not allow that kind of worry to dominate what gets printed it but getting attacked on a regular basis for printing what is actually public information can get tough. The author, Eric Scigliano, gets it mostly right but he still didn't understand that there are(were) three committees.  Definitely on the committee:...

People have often asked me, "Why don't you run for office?"  The painful slog that is sometimes the Board meetings and/or committee meetings is one reason.  Today's Executive Committee meeting was one such experience.  Started at 8:30 am and ran probably till noon (probably because I left at 11:45 am).  This is Part 1.  Not that it wasn't chock-a-block full of news - it was.  But Brian Rosenthal from the Times left early (and surprisingly right before a good part) and Charlie, a twitchy guy on his own, was fairly chomping at the bit to get out of there. I'll start backwards because that's one of the most interesting parts. Good news - they picked the "focus group' community for the superintendent search.  For the most part, a good list with touches of greatness and one truly bad choice.   But I have faith in the abilities of the majority of the committee. Bad news - the process was a mess.  I hate to be this hard on the Execut...

It was a lively meeting to be sure.  I stayed until after the discussion of the introduction of the TFA item.  Here are links ( Part 2 - testimony, Part 3 - rest of meeting). The testimony was more varied than I might have expected as TFA was not the only issue discussed.  In fact, testimony about Graham Hill's preschool led to discussion at the Audit & Finance Committee meeting the next day and Sherry Carr's community meeting yesterday.  I will sum it up here but it deserves another thread of its own as it is a larger part of the discussion about the budget. I am going to write a separate thread on the TFA testimony as it is quite telling to the discussion about ending the contract. 

From the Times, it has been announced that Dr. Enfield has taken the superintendent's job offered by Highline School district. From the story: “I will not let this community down,” said Enfield, the interim chief of Seattle schools. “I will work tirelessly on behalf of the students and staff here.” The job at the 18,000-student district would start July 1, the day after Enfield’s position in Seattle ends – a commitment she plans to keep, Enfield said. The contract would be for three years; salary terms have not yet been finalized. In choosing Highline, Enfield spurned advances from Bellevue School District officials, who were exploring an accelerated interview process with her for their superintendent vacancy. Enfield said she was impressed by Highline’s staff and school board. She made the decision after spending Friday interviewing at the district, she said. “I don’t think it’s so much what Highline has that Bellevue doesn’t,” she said. “I just thought the fit (was ...

The Times is reporting that Dr. Enfield has been offered the superintendent job in Highline. The Bellevue School Board is scheduled to meet tonight to decide whether to skip a search and offer the job to Enfield. She may have two offers in hand by the end of the day tomorrow and will likely need to make a decision by week's end.

The ad is out there. People will soon be responding. Then the committees will winnow the list of applicants to a set of semi-finalists and finalists. Seattle Public Schools will have a new superintendent. What are you looking for in a new Superintendent? Administrative skills - someone who will get the house in order Management skills - someone who will motivate the school staff and the JSCEE staff Fundraising skills - someone who can shake money out of Olympia, the Alliance, local businesses, and national foundations Communication skills - someone who will listen to the community and respond Perhaps it isn't skills. Perhaps you would like to see the District led by someone with a certain perspective. Pragmatism - someone who will put energy behind what works instead of an ideology Vision - someone who has an ideal and will work to implement it Centralized control - someone who will enforce District mandates De-centralized control - someone who will eliminate ...

It appears that the district is running on the old habit of "a need to know basis" with parents.  That is, they'll let you know what they think you need to know when they think you should hear it.   So it is with the Superintendent Search.  The information has been sketchy and confusing.   Here is the webpage .  Let's compare that with Highline's or Spokane's or Bellevue's .   (Also, as an update, Bellevue's says they will decide, by Feb. 27th, on what their final process is to be.  I think this means they have decided on Enfield, they will stop their process.)  Spokane had multiple focus groups with teachers, support staff, parents, community members and students.   Here's what happens in Spokane after they pick their finalists: The three finalists will each spend a full day in Spokane for meetings with staff, interview/feedback groups and a community open forum. Here's what happens in Highline: The forums...

I attended Michael DeBell's community meeting.  Did anyone attend Sharon Peaslee's?  If so, let us know about the discussion. DeBell's meeting was interesting with the majority of participants from McClure Middle School.  They had a variety of concerns including less-than-stellar science program, loss of students from "good" elementaries like Coe, John Hay, etc. from elementary to middle school (thus creating funding issues for McClure) and issues around discipline at the school.  (You may recall that I mentioned in the SB meeting wrap-up that a mother from McClure had expressed some concerns around discipline as well.) DeBell gave the group an update on the SB meeting.  He said the MOU that passed had been an addendum to the collective bargaining agreement.  He said that 15 schools had expressed interest in the idea.  He was fairly blase about it so I mentioned that the vote took oversight away from the Board and left it all in the hands of the Su...

DeBell Community Meeting   from 9-11 am at Cafe Appasionato Peaslee Community Meeting   from 10:30 am to noon at the Lake City Library I am torn about going to talk to DeBell and ask him why he continues to feed conflict on the Board.  I understand that during the discussion about the CAS, he said some on the Board wanted "control." It's not about control; it's about oversight.  I never in my life thought I would quote Ronald Reagan but their role is "trust but verify" to voters.   They gave it away with this MOU. Also, I still have not heard from him about why the superintendent search seems to be a mystery.  There is finally a webpage on the search but it has the vaguest of timelines (with no mention of public input or ability to meet the finalists) and no mention of the the two committees.  Where's that transparency? 

I guess no one. So from what I was following on the superintendent search (both in person and reading minutes), I thought I understood how the superintendent search would be working.  Of course, we are still waiting on the webpage for this information (tick tock).  I had understood the search committee to be made up of the following: 7 Board members 1 SEA rep 1 PASS rep 1 SCPTSA rep 1 staff person from Central Administration 1 Local 609 rep That's 12 people.  But then I find out that there have been interviews with other people/groups with the consultant group, Hazard, Young, Attea and Associates.   This included the Alliance for Education who apparently sent five people and Our Schools Coalition and Asian Pacific Directors Coalition.  It is unclear how any of the groups were selected.  The interviews were to help get ideas about questions for the candidates and what the community wanted. I was fine with this (although yes, the Our Schools Coa...

Monday Seattle Council PTSA General Meeting (topic: school budgets) from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at the JSCEE Tuesday Executive Committee Meeting of the Whole from 4-6 p.m. at JSCEE.   After the committee meeting, they will go into Executive Session (no public allowed) for "labor negotiations/potential litigation."  The agenda only reflects "superintendent search." Wednesday Work Session: BEX IV - 4-5:30 p.m. at JSCEE Executive Session immediately afterwards for "potential litigation" School Board Meeting from 6-9 p.m.   Agenda .  The agenda reflects: - update on the John Stanford Building Bonds - several votes on Board policies including visitors to schools and Series 6000 with Director Smith-Blum offering an amendment - an amendment by Director Smith-Blum on moving the timeline slightly further out for Policy 1620BP due to on-going governance training that may serve this policy better. -introduction of the item to change testimony time from 3 ...